Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game What worked this year and what didn't?

What about it guys? Nothing like the truth instead of ad hype. <P>I went through 2 sets of Leupold conventional<BR>ring sets on my 338 Ultra until I finally said the heck with it and bought Burris Dual Dovetail Sig.Rings and Bases. I guess it kicks a "Littlebit" <P>My first year with a McMillan HTG stock and I love it! It really fits me and reduces the<BR>felt recoil a bunch.<P>What about ya'll,what panned out and what was<BR>just smoke and mirrors???

Well I posted this over at shooters a while back, but I'm willing to give it another go incase anyone missed it. First off Georgia boots from the Georgia Boot Company don't hold up very well. I considered those boots to be a wasted and expensive $200.00 lesson. Cabela's MT050 rain wear get's an "A" rating from me. Kept me dry and warm in extreme weather. It will tear on sharp rocks, but then again what doesn't? It's not as burr proof as I'd hoped, but better than cotton by a long shot. Bushnell compact 600 rangefinder is next on the list. I give it about a C+ rating. It works most of the time unless it's colder than 25 degrees above zero, below that mine just buzzes at me. It also won't give me a reading on a deer past about 300 yards if there is snow on the ground. I'm not sure, but I think the snow messes with it. I have a Dana Design day pack I've given a hard work out this past season and it's gets an A+. No complaints it was super and I even carried an entired boned out mule deer with it in one (very heavy) load. I felt like crap but the pack didn't fail in any way. Now for the crap, Blister Free socks from Walmart...aren't! Plastic butt-saver type cushions filled with little tiny styrafoam pellets won't last more than about two trips into the woods. Plastic poncho's are a joke if it's really raining. Bushnell, Tasco, Simmons, and all lesser scopes should be banned...and I've got a box of broken one's to prove it. Speaking of Bushnell I had a compact 800 rangefinder that lasted all of two times out the door before it went belly up. I pronounced it as top self crap. One last thing I'm having trouble finding a good knife for gutting and skinning that doesn't constantly need to be sharpened. Any suggestions? I'm sure there is more but that is all that comes to mind right now.

Last summer I received a pair of those LL Bean rubber boots for my birthday. I would wear them in the summer in the morning, because the dew is so thick. I also wore them this past deer season in 10 to 30 degree weather, and they kept my feet warm because they kept them dry. I wasn't expecting them to be comfortable that cold, but I usually wasn't stand hunting. But you have to be careful in them, because they are not at all surefooted like the vibram sole boots.

Big Sky: Next time look at the Red Wing and Chippawa boots. My Redwings are going strong into their fifth year, but could stand a resole.

Big Sky - Mark loves the Alaska Knives he got last year. He gave a set to a couple of Alaska residents and they seemed to like them. As far as use you will have to check with them on how well they hold up.<BR>Toons<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Big Sky:<BR><B>Well I posted this over at shooters a while back, but I'm willing to give it another go incase anyone missed it. First off Georgia boots from the Georgia Boot Company don't hold up very well. I considered those boots to be a wasted and expensive $200.00 lesson. Cabela's MT050 rain wear get's an "A" rating from me. Kept me dry and warm in extreme weather. It will tear on sharp rocks, but then again what doesn't? It's not as burr proof as I'd hoped, but better than cotton by a long shot. Bushnell compact 600 rangefinder is next on the list. I give it about a C+ rating. It works most of the time unless it's colder than 25 degrees above zero, below that mine just buzzes at me. It also won't give me a reading on a deer past about 300 yards if there is snow on the ground. I'm not sure, but I think the snow messes with it. I have a Dana Design day pack I've given a hard work out this past season and it's gets an A+. No complaints it was super and I even carried an entired boned out mule deer with it in one (very heavy) load. I felt like crap but the pack didn't fail in any way. Now for the crap, Blister Free socks from Walmart...aren't! Plastic butt-saver type cushions filled with little tiny styrafoam pellets won't last more than about two trips into the woods. Plastic poncho's are a joke if it's really raining. Bushnell, Tasco, Simmons, and all lesser scopes should be banned...and I've got a box of broken one's to prove it. Speaking of Bushnell I had a compact 800 rangefinder that lasted all of two times out the door before it went belly up. I pronounced it as top self crap. One last thing I'm having trouble finding a good knife for gutting and skinning that doesn't constantly need to be sharpened. Any suggestions? I'm sure there is more but that is all that comes to mind right now.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>

littlebit, well one thing that I KNOW doesn't work (don't ask me why I know this)- using poison oak for toilet paper! Man, that stuff just isn't comfortable at all, and the aftermath is pretty nasty. Thank God I didn't have to go to my doctor to show him the damage. <BR>Oh, were you guys talking about equipment?<BR>Never mind- Sheister

I know what didnt work to my expectations. that was our kelty campsite 4 tent. Its a nice tent with alot of room but it doesnt hold up to the wind all that well. I woke up one morning on our bou hunt and the fly blew right off. It uses those clips that clip to the poles to hold the fly on. Granted no trees and we had 30-50mph winds and it pulled the stakes right out of the tundra. I'm just glad it didnt rain.<BR>

Joel S,<P> If i look hard enough i might be able to find a photo of last years caribou hunt and be able to show you what a 150.00 Coleman tent looks like after a bad storm. It's pretty funny.<P> Paul

Hey Youper are Redwing and Irish Setter boots one in the same? I've heard good things about both and they seem to always be advertised together.

Paul,<BR>I was actually surprised by this tent. They say its a 3 season tent (ad hype?). I know it was a cheap tent from cabellas but we used it in inclimate weather on the kenai and it work fine. We usually use north face tents (gotta love the military).<BR>One thing that impressed me though was that the poles didnt break when they were bent at 180 degrees by the wind.<BR>oh well, I gotta keep on looking I guess. Luckily I dont have any major hunts planned for the next couple of years.

Joel S,<P> Cabela's Alaskan Guide tents are the only way to go! I used the 8 man this year and it held up to a decent wind storm 25-35MPH with gusts to 50. Didn't even act like it was being blown on.<P> I really recomend this tent. Better than north face? Na! Bet has a whole lot more room and is a little cheaper And it's a very good tent.<P> Paul

Thanks Paul,<BR>I looked at it but I dont know of any one that has used one. I'm gonna have to go look at it again.

Joel S,<P> Allen at Talon recomended it to me last year and said that it was all he used for outfitting people. I think he said that he has 10 of them. Well i took his word for it and i am really impressed!!!!<P> Paul

Let's see.....<P>Danner boots = junk<P>Russell Moccasin Boots = out of this world<P>Schnee Outfitter Pacs = can't beat 'em<P>Zeiss 10x40 binos = unsurpassable<P>Wool clothes = won't hunt without 'em<P>Fat horses = PITA<P>Owner of fat horses = stupid for not getting them in shape<P>

Bigmuley,I like your style! You must be a "Meat and Taters" guy?!?.......

Works:<P>- 416 Rem on a 700 built by John Ricks <BR>- Leupold Scopes<BR>- Leupold QRW rings<BR>- Cabela's MT-050<BR>- Kifaru Backpacks<BR>- Gore-Tex Socks<BR>- Insulated Bibs<BR>- McMillan Stock<BR>- Folding 3/8" Sleeping Pad<BR>- Cabela's Alaskan Guide Hip Boots (for walking)<BR>- Active weight Thermax underwear<BR>- Magellean GPS<P>Doesn't Work:<P>- Cabela's Base Camp II sleeping bag--needs a chest baffle<BR>- Cabela's Alaskan Guide Uninsulated Hip Boots (get the insulated version)<BR>- Oilcloth Aussie Hat (get soaking wet)<BR>- Non waterproof duffle bags (gets stuff wet)<P><BR>That's enough for now.<P>Blaine

Works:<BR>North Face Mountain Guide jacket � waterproof, warm by itself in 30�s and 40�s weather, warm with decent vest as insulation underneath in 20�s<BR>Wool clothes � as usual. (Not good as fire barrier, though)<BR>Silk long underwear � decadent, but oh baby, do they feel nice.<BR>Marble�s knife, specifically their Sport 99 model � carbon steel so it needs to be oiled, but really, really holds an edge. Great looking, very useful blade shape and handles well. <BR>Hornady .308 caliber 165 grain SP at approx. 2850 � 2900 fps MV � as usual.<BR>Danner boots covered in SnoSeal, for the fifth or sixth year in a row� apparently opinions vary.<BR>Yamaha 2X4 250 Timber Wolf � great for getting the game back to camp. Not much traction to speak of on snow and soft sand but give it even a vestige of a LEGAL trail and it will haul about 4 times more than it is supposed to. <BR>Being nice to landowners so they don�t kick you off after you�ve already set up camp (oops).<P>Sort of works:<BR>Cabelas Whitetail series butt pack. Lots of room, waterproof, but the flap and compression straps cover the outside pocket so you have to undo stuff to get to stuff that should be quickly reachable. Also so big it invites you to overload it so it drags down, needs suspenders.<P>Doesn�t work:<BR>My blood pressure and guys actively hunting from ATV�s and riding over every square inch of ground whether the area is closed for them or not.<BR>

Big Stick,<P>Yeah, well sort of. Actually, I smashed my finger with a hammer last night and typing was quite difficult. I resorted to "hunt and peck" .

Here's my spiel on Danner boots. I have been wearing Danners for over ten years now. The first pair I had was pretty good quality. Since then, each pair seemed a little worse than the previous pair. The last one was terrible. While Danner's have never provided exceptional ankle support, these were just flat awful. My feet would hurt after a day of hiking in them. They leaked. The sole separated from the upper.<P>These were not the stitch down style, but the cemented hiker type boots. The sole was literally falling off of the boot. I sent them back to Danner six weeks after the one year warranty expired. I told them that the problem had developed quite some time ago and had progressively worsened. They informed me that the one year warranty was up and they could do NOTHING for me. They did not even offer to reglue them and bill me !<P>I realize warranty is warranty and they have to stick to the terms, but come on! How hard would it have been to reglue them ? I will certainly take some blame for not notifying them of the problem sooner. However, I certainly expect more out of a $180 pair of boots . <P>IMO, boot should last a hell of a lot longer than one to two years. I have a pair of White Packers that are on their third year this summer and they still look like new. I just bought a pair of Russell Moccasin Sheep Hunters this fall. These boots are beyond words. They custom fit these boots to your feet, and the workmanship is phenomenal. If Danners work for you, great. If you're tired of overpriced, underquality boots, take a look at the Russells. They aren't cheap, but just like the White's they'll last forever.<P>Sorry for the long oration, but I feel many of the products we are sold are garbage. If you're going to charge an arm and a leg for a crappy product, you should at least have the customer service to warrant the price.

While I'm on a roll, a few other items for the garbage pile:<P>Redfield rings = wouldn't aling correctly. Went to Leupold Dual Dovetail and never looked back.<P>Any gloves not made out of leather or wool.<P>Bushnell Trophy binocs.<P>Chevy and GM products.<P>Chicago screws on a leather sling. Either loctite them or take them out and replace with a pigskin lace.<P>Kudos to:<P>Silk undies, even though they snag easily.<P>Polypro undies, not as comfortable as silk, but are more durable.<P>Hornady bullets.<P>Buck knives.<P>Smartwool socks.<P>Leupold spotting scopes.